The present invention relates to an aircraft having a plurality of fuselages for increased payload. More specifically, the aircraft has a central fuselage, and first and second side-saddle fuselages mounted on opposite sides of the central fuselage.
In the field of aeronautics, it has been a constant goal of aircraft operators to increase the amount of payload which can be transported in a single flight. The ability of an aircraft to handle large payloads could be utilized, for example, by the military in the transportation of large quantities of personnel and/or freight including, among other things, weapons such as large or over-sized missiles with extended range and larger payloads. Accordingly, to increase aircraft payload carrying capacity various single fuselage designs have been employed and analyzed, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,999 to Buchsel et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,996 to Roeder et. al., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,405,893 to Flamand et. al; however, these unconventional single fuselage designs have been able to provide only moderate increases in payload capability.
Another aircraft displaying a triple fuselage design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,923 to Lafferty incorporated herein by reference. The aircraft disclosed in Lafferty is similar to the aircraft of the present invention, however, Lafferty, along with the other references disclosed herein, fails to disclose, among other things, side-saddle fuselages defining launch tubes that carry and launch large or over-sized missiles.
Accordingly, there is a need for a practical aircraft with a large payload carrying capacity containing a central fuselage and two side-saddle fuselages wherein the side-saddle fuselages define launch tubes capable of transporting and launching, among other things, large or oversize missiles.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an aircraft with a large payload carrying capacity comprising a central fuselage and first and second side-saddle fuselages positioned immediately adjacent to and mounted on opposite sides of the central fuselage.
In a preferred embodiment, each side-saddle fuselage is provided with a means for opening the first and second side-saddle fuselages and further defines a launch tube such that a large or oversize missile can be provided therein for transportation from one destination to the next and for launching therefrom.